The white paper on "China's Peaceful Development" released by the Chinese government on Sept. 6 has reset the scope of China's core interests, with "China's political system established by the Constitution and its overall social stability" and "the basic safeguards for ensuring sustainable economic and social development" incorporated into China's core interests for the first time. The revision of the scope is the practical conclusion of China's core interests.

The central bank chief yesterday poured cold water on talk that China could make the yuan fully convertible by as soon as 2015.

People's Bank of China Governor Zhou Xiaochuan said the nation's economic plan for 2011-2015 included the goal of scrapping restrictions that mean the yuan cannot be freely traded for purposes other than trade and investment.

But, speaking to reporters in London, Zhou added: "Up to now, the plan does not define a clear timetable for full convertibility."

The scale of cross-boarder RMB trade settlement is expanding rapidly in Africa, Southeast Asia and Latin America during recent years. Local financial institutions have played a critical role in promoting RMB internationalization and the application of the RMB in these regions.

LONDON - China has confidence in both the European economy and the euro and supports the euro zone's efforts to tackle its debt crisis, Vice-Premier Wang Qishan said on Thursday at the Fourth China-UK Economic and Financial Dialogue.

XIAMEN, Sept. 8 (Xinhua) -- China and Africa need to cooperate with each other and promote common development amid the uncertainty of the world's economic recovery, China's Minister of Commerce Chen Deming said Thursday.

Confronting the complex economic situations of sovereign debt crisis, inflationary pressures and food security problems, nations around the world, especially developing countries, should join to seize opportunities to deal with the challenge and reduce the influence of the potential economic crisis, said Chen at the High-Level Symposium on China-Africa Investment and Cooperation in the southeastern coastal city of Xiamen.

Without question, Libya has currently entered the post-Qaddafi era. Qaddafi is still giving speeches through various channels, calling on people to continue the fight and declaring that he will rally soldiers to re-seize Tripoli, but nobody takes his blustering seriously. The armed Libyan rebels have already started the great cause of founding a new country, and the Western countries that helped the Libyan rebels win the war have also started to carve up the cake of Libya under the beautiful cover of helping Libya in its reconstruction. What will Libya actually face in the post-Qaddafi era?

Western countries swore that they would protect the civilians of Libya and let the people of Libya decide their future. But actually, after the United Nations issued a ban on flying, the territorial sky of Libya no longer belonged to the Libyan people.

Shanghai--China revised upwards its 2010 economic growth to 10.4 percent from a previous 10.3 percent because the manufacturing and services industries posted a quicker pace of development, the National Bureau of Statistics said yesterday.

The gross domestic product in the world's second-largest economy expanded to 40.1 trillion yuan (US$ 6.3 trillion) last year, a rise of 322 billion yuan from its previous calculation.

China's central government has ordered a thorough investigation into an oil spill from offshore wells at the Bohai Bay operated by U.S. oil giant ConocoPhillips.

The State Council, or cabinet, also said it would restrict the construction of new petrochemical projects along the bay in a bid to protect the environment from the effects of too much industrial development.

"Parties responsible for the spill accident must be made to contain the spill, clean up the mess and substantially alleviate the damages caused by pollution," It said in a statement yesterday.

Among all contracts, 5.5 billion dollars are clinched between Chinese and foreign companies, while 124 billion dollars are among Chinese companies, the organizer said.

About 50,000 officials and business people from China and about 30 countries, regions and international organizations attended the trade fair, which also attracted an audience of more than 300,000 people.

The Autumn Moon rounds up sons and daughters working away who head home during this important festival on the Chinese almanac. Zhou Wenting finds out how these wandering prodigals strengthen the ties that bind with mooncakes and visits to family and friends.

WASHINGTON - US Vice President Joe Biden, who made an official visit to China last month, has said that he remains convinced that a successful China can make the United States more prosperous.

"I remain convinced that a successful China can make our country more prosperous, not less," the vice president wrote in The New York Times on Thursday. "As trade and investment bind us together, we have a stake in each other's success."

"We often focus on Chinese exports to America, but last year American companies exported more than 100 billion dollars worth of goods and services to China, supporting hundreds of thousands of jobs here," he noted in his article entitled "China's Rise Isn't Our Demise," trying to assuage concern that Chinese exports are making Americans lose their jobs.

"In fact, our exports to China have been growing much faster than our exports to the rest of the world," Biden added.

The Chinese mainland progresses steadily in global competitiveness while the United States continues the decline that began in 2008, according to the latest Global Competitiveness Report 2011-2012 by the World Economic Forum.

Over the past five years, several economies in Asia and the Pacific region — including the Chinese mainland, Indonesia, Vietnam and Sri Lanka — have made important strides in the Global Competitiveness Index (GCI) rankings.

China pledged to reduce energy consumption per unit of GDP by 16 percent in the five years to the end of 2015, the State Council said in a scheme on Sep 7.

In 2009 the country set the goal of slowing greenhouse gas emission increases relative to economic growth by 40-50 percent between 2005 and 2020, and using renewable fuels for 15 percent of its energy, Reuters reported.

In the five years to 2010, China achieved a 19.1 percent decrease in energy consumption per unit of GDP, close to its target of a 20 percent cut.

XIAMEN, Fujian - Chinese firms need a more "open and convenient" global investment climate and the government will introduce measures to help companies invest internationally, the country's top commerce official said on Thursday.

The government will launch more measures to aid companies investing overseas and create a win-win situation for both China and other countries, Minister of Commerce Chen Deming said at the International Investment Forum 2011 in Xiamen, Fujian province.

The forum is part of the five-day 15th China International Fair for Investment & Trade that started on Wednesday.

XIAMEN, Fujian province - A larger outflow of Chinese overseas direct investment (ODI) could help the global economy regain and sustain its growth momentum, even as uncertainties remain over the strength of the global recovery, said officials from both China and overseas.

"The deeper impact of the global financial crisis has expanded, and new uncertainties about the world economic recovery constantly appear," said Chen Deming, the Chinese minister of commerce, at the opening ceremony of the 15th China International Fair for Investment & Trade (CIFIT) on Wednesday.

"The enhancement of international cooperation and encouragement and support for Chinese ODI would be an effective way of adding vigor to the global economy and help to achieve robust, sustainable and balanced growth," said Chen.

Held in Xiamen, the five-day investment fair has attracted 636 international organizations and 482 high-profile visitors from foreign governments, companies and institutions.

Attendants Huang Tingting (right) and He Jiao share a light-hearted moment on Tuesday ahead of the opening on Wednesday of the 15th China International Fair for Investment & Trade in Xiamen, Fujian province.

The 90th anniversary of the Communist Party of China in July coincided with a spate of writing in the Western press most notably Fareed Zakaria (CNN), and Ian Bremmer (Wall Street Journal) - reiterating that China was unlikely to be the next superpower.

Typically, these writers took a skeptical view of the projections that China might push past America's economic hegemony in the next five years or so, or build the political capacity to assume the position of global leadership.

"China is already an economic and political superpower in the perception of many people," says Robert Lawrence Kuhn, international corporate strategist, media personality and adviser to Chinese companies on capitalist markets for more than 20 years. "In today's world, where media makes news more than reports it, perceptions are realities."

As far as he can see "China will only grow in its relative power". He hastens to add that for China's leaders this growth may turn out to be "more a burden than a blessing".

Kuhn is probably at an advantage over fellow China watchers from the Western media to comment on how Chinese leaders may handle this exponential growth and its inevitable side-effects, having interviewed more than a hundred-odd Chinese officials holding key positions in the government and/or the Party, up, close.

How Country captured the fascination of the world's most powerful fashion player

When American Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour visited China for the first time late last year she was blown away by the energy, creativity and entrepreneurial spirit. Wintour, regularly described as the most powerful individual in the fashion world, wasted no time in dispatching Vogue's top photographer, Mario Testino, to Beijing and Shanghai, in a bid to try and capture the China zeitgeist.

Says Wintour in her editor's letter: "When I returned home, I knew that this country that I'd found so entrancing - I'd never been anywhere that restless and ceaseless in its pursuit of the new - could act as a powerful and compelling backdrop for a September fashion story."

Style guru Anna Wintour wants to encourage more US brands to open more stores in China. "I think American brands are a bit behind coming to China compared to European brands."

The China Daily website is inviting foreign readers to share their China stories with our worldwide audience. Please send your story with your contact information to mychinastory@chinadaily.com.cn. Photos of the author or the story are also welcome.

PARIS, Aug. 20 (Xinhua) — A French writer’s book put on sale recently has disclosed another side, including opportunism and tricks, of the Dalai Lama deified by some Western politicians and armchair pundits.

BEIJING, Sept. 8 (Xinhua) -- Premier Wen Jiabao promised to spend more resources in rural education and improve teachers' welfare in a statement released from the State Council general office on Thursday.

CHANGCHUN, Sept. 7 (Xinhua) -- China is seeking to push forward the establishment of a free trade area among Northeast Asian countries in order to further boost the economic and trade exchanges in the region, a senior political advisor said Wednesday.

"All countries in Northeast Asia should make efforts in building a regional cooperative framework and exploring the construction of a free trade area under the backdrop of global and regional economic integration," said Bai Lichen, vice chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC).

Bai made the remarks at the ongoing 7th China Jilin Northeast Asia Investment and Trade Expo in Jilin's capital city Changchun.

BEIJING, Sept. 6 (Xinhua) -- The Chinese government on Tuesday published a white paper on the country's development, stressing peaceful development is China's strategic choice to realize modernization, make itself strong and prosperous and make more contribution to the progress of human civilization.

The white paper, released by the State Council Information Office, introduces the path, objective and foreign policy of the peaceful development and elaborates on what China's peaceful development means to the rest of the world.

"Situated in the East, China, a country with an ancient civilization and a population of over 1.3 billion, is making big strides in its advance toward modernization. What path of development has China chosen? What will China's development bring to the rest of the world?" it says at the start.

BEIJING, Sept. 6 (Xinhua) -- The Information Office of the State Council, China's cabinet, on Tuesday published a white paper on China's peaceful development.

The undated photo taken by a netizen shows China's stealth fighter J-20 during a test flight in Chengdu, southwest China's Sichuan Province. Recently, China's three types of advanced fighters, namely J-20, J-10A and FC-1 Xiaolong, conducted frequent test flights over the southwestern city of Chengdu, according to huanqiu.com.

BEIJING, Aug. 30 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Ma Zhaoxu said here Tuesday that several leaders of foreign countries are to attend the first China-Eurasia Expo in the northwestern Chinese city of Urumqi.

Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari, Kyrgyz President Roza Otunbayeva, Azerbaijan's Vice Premier Abid Sharifov, and Kazakhstan's Deputy Prime Minister Aset Isekeshev are scheduled to attend the expo, at the invitation of the organizing committee of the expo, Ma said in a press release.

COPC, the operator of the Penglai 19-3 oilfield, issued a statement Saturday evening accusing CCTV of making up an interview with an alleged employee of the oil producer in a report aired Friday.

In the report, a CCTV crew revisited the leakage site near platforms B and C with inspectors from the State Oceanic Administration (SOA).

The crew said it saw at least 20 ships cleaning oil at the site, contradicting a previous claim from COPC that the company had finished clearing the area before the August 31 deadline set by the SOA.

Through a wireless radio channel, a man claiming to be a COPC employee working in the area told CCTV that the cleaning work had been delayed due to bad weather.

When asked why the company claimed to have finished the cleaning process before the deadline, the employee replied, "We just lied."

A war of words between ConocoPhillips China (COPC) and China Central Television (CCTV) over the weekend added more drama to the oil spill incident in the Bohai Bay, outraging the public that is demanding COPC actively take responsibility for the crisis.

Philippine President Benigno Aquino arrived in Beijing on Tuesday on a mission to secure $60 billion in economic deals, amid spats between the two sides over the South China Sea issue.

Aquino, in his first state visit to China, will meet with President Hu Jintao, Premier Wen Jiabao and business representatives during his five-day tour, which will also take him to Shanghai and Xiamen.

Most of the president's 300-strong delegation are business leaders.

"The visit hopes to push for more trade, investment. It will also showcase the Philippines as an attractive and profitable business destination," Philippine Foreign Affairs Assistant Secretary Cristina Ortega told reporters on Tuesday.

The 2011 China Tourism Equipment Expo concluded on Monday in the northern port city of Tianjin. Exhibitors from home and abroad displayed their latest products for travellers. Let's take a look at some of the creative ideas.

Enjoying viewers passing you, chatting with friends and you can also burn your calories at the same time. The group bicycle is just one of some 300 creative tourism products that might make your trip easier or add some fun even after you are back home.

Tibetan relics get makeoverFor sixty years, the protection and preservation of Tibetan regional heritage has been at the top of the Chinese government's agenda.

For this twelfth Five-Year plan, the government has launched a 270-million US dollar project aimed at the preservation of more than 60 cultural heritage sites.

More than 4000 cultural heritage sites exist in the Tibetan Autonomous Region of China. To match that colossal number, China has already injected 220-million USD in the past 30 years to preserve the cultural relics as well as the history of the region.

CCTV's "Heart-to-Heart" Art Troupe performed at Potala Palace in Lhasa in the Tibet Autonomous Region on Wednesday. Now, let's join the more than 10,000 people who attended the show.

This performance by the "Heart-to-Heart" Art Troupe was to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the peaceful liberation of the Tibet Autonomous Region, showing the great changes and development that has occurred there.

The number of participating performers and audience members was the most ever since the art troupe began performing there. And many of the performers are local.

"Love U, Teresa" is a Broadway-style musical play commemorates late Taiwan singer Teresa Teng (1953-1995). The musical is about Teng in heaven helping young musician Zhou Mengjun to pursue her dream with her music. The musical uses the simple values of love and loyalty celebrated in Teng’s songs. More than 30 of Teng’s greatest hits sung by two actresses who play Teng, including “I Only Care About You,” “The Long Road of Life” and “The Moon Represents My Heart.” The musical made its debut in Hong Kong in 2010 and was well-received. Many people said they could not believe the two singers/actresses looked so much like Teng.

Chinese inflation fell to 6.2% in August after hitting a three-year high of 6.5% the month before, raising market expectations that China’s central bank tightening policy might finally be coming to an end. Analysts weigh in:

Switzerland’s central bank is taking a little stick for its controversial intervention in foreign currency markets to halt the runaway rise of the franc. Some of the criticism is coming from unlikely quarters – like China.

Mukesh Ambani and Li Ka-shing may soon get new company in their wealth club. While the U.S. and western European economies continue to be in the doldrums, Asia, with its steady economic growth, will supply the next set of millionaires (and billionaires), says a new report.

China’s adoption of genetically-modified crops will provide the “tipping point” for global attitudes to biotechnology, according to two leading lights of the private and public sector debate on biotechnology in agriculture.

China Inc. boasts some of the biggest corporate names in the world today: China Mobile Ltd., PetroChina, Industrial & Commercial Bank of China Ltd, just to name a few. But while the commanding heights of the world’s second-largest economy are still firmly in the hands of China’s state-owned enterprises, who are the overachievers in the private sector?

It’s a raging debate in economics circles: Is China’s commanding position as the world’s low-wage factory floor eroding in the face of rising labor costs and a strengthening currency?

RBS’s top China economist Li Cui writes in a research note published Wednesday that “evidence of China losing out is still absent.” Her view is that China has been remarkably adaptive to rising labor costs and a strengthening currency....

BEIJING — China’s straight-talking former premier, Zhu Rongji, returned to the political limelight when a popular newspaper published excerpts from a new book of his speeches in which he warns officials not to be “yes men” and calls for urgent reform to address public grievances.

China recently took another step in presenting Li Keqiang, the country’s presumptive next premier, as a global statesman, touting a meeting with Pakistani President and close ally Asif Ali Zardari and leaders of other central Asian countries, which China has courted in recent years for their geostrategic positioning as well as abundant energy resources.

The story harvesting hype this year: That employees gifted mooncakes by their employers, as is tradition for the holiday, will have to pay personal income tax on the baked goods — and that the value of the cakes could bump some into a higher taxable-income bracket.

The People's Bank of China is tightening deposit reserve requirements in a way that forces bankers to abandon strategies that circumvent monetary policy and promote easy credit.

Nigeria to Introduce Yuan into Forex ReservesNigeria'a central bank governor said Nigeria would purchase the yuan through bond sales by China's central bank as well as yuan-denominated trade settlements in oil deals with China

(Beijing) -- Nigeria plans to diversify 5 to 10 percent of its foreign exchange reserves into the yuan and sign a currency swap agreement with China, Nigerian central bank governor Sanusi Lamido Aminu Sanusi said on September 6 in Beijing.

But the first step toward coronation, and boosting the world economy, should be an international equities board

The United States didn't plot to supplant Britain as the international financial center. It happened because the United States replaced Britain first as the biggest industrial power and trading nation. Wall Street's importance is a consequence of American industrial success.

Chromium pollution on Pearl River Tributary has killed a number of livestock in Yunnan Province, and continues to contaminate water supplies

In Sanbao Town, the water isn't safe to drink anymore. After a light rain on June 11, Lu Jicai took his sheep into the mountains, located by the Nanpan River Basin. The sheep drank from a pond and soon began bleating. That night, Lu's wife made an inventory. Of the 51 sheep on the mountain that day, 38 had died and 13 were on the verge of death. A veterinarian at the local Animal Husbandry Station determined that the sheep had been poisoned.

This past summer holiday, I finally read a 2006 book in Chinese written by the grand, old man of Chinese cultural linguistics, Professor Ji Xianlin (1911-2009). The title of his book crystallizes his view that culture and civilization are like a river that flows east for 30 years and then west for the next 30.

The 400-year-old Chengqi clan home in Fujian Province's Yongding County is known as the "king of earthen Hakka buildings." Known locally as ‘tulou,’ it received World Cultural Heritage status from the United Nation’s World Heritage Centre in 2008.

In recent years, the centuries-old Chinese tradition of giving moon cakes to friends and relatives to celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival has been marred by scandals of unscrupulous makers loading up the additives to preserve shelf-life and recycle unsold products. This year, the government is clamping down, but not without the addition of an unsavory tax ingredient into the mix.

With the completion of its aircraft carrier, China's capacity to further up the ante in disputed East Asian waters has drastically increased. Japan's deep reach into the East China Sea, a capability to contribute to the security of Northeast Asia, and above all an increasingly predominant political role in the region, give Tokyo the power to be a natural counterweight to the growing influence of China.

After eight years, China's parliament has published 99 draft amendments to the Criminal Procedure Law. Under the guise of protecting the nation against terrorism and other security threats, the proposed changes would enshrine into law human-rights violations that have long been the norm among the police and security forces.

THE ROVING EYE

An extreme traveler, Pepe's nose for news has taken him to all parts of the Pepe Escobar globe. He was in Afghanistan and interviewed the military leader of the anti-Taliban Northern Alliance, Ahmad Shah Masoud, a couple of weeks before his assassination